


Broken Crown

by FahriiFeather



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29200074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FahriiFeather/pseuds/FahriiFeather
Summary: The search was taking too long for Keith's liking. Alongside Lance, both had yet to see a glimpse of their Black Paladin. With the constant threat of the Galra hanging over their heads like a storm, time was quickly running out.However, the two may discover that the real truth is sitting right under their noses.
Relationships: Lance/Shiro (Voltron)
Kudos: 6





	Broken Crown

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is a rebirth of my older fic under the same name. You can read that one here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161239.
> 
> Thank you to those that have stuck with this story even if it was highly sporadic and disjointed. I hope you enjoy the new route I'll be taking it!

The Red Lion was lucky she did not have the capacity to grow weary. Days upon days she spent in the wilds of space, her senses spreading far and wide through the stars. Her pilot, a boy of only 18, sighed as he slouched back in the seat of the cockpit. Resting his chin on his fist, he simply sat and waited; what else could he do? He didn’t have the capability of ejecting himself into space and searching for Shiro on his own for days on end. All he could do was send Red and himself miles from the castle only to run on fumes and waning hope.

“Find anything?”

Keith was torn from his own daydreaming as Red’s communication line sparked to life. On the other end was Lance, his jacket hanging loosely from the 17-year-old’s shoulders. As much as Lance never admitted it, Keith could sense he wasn’t getting nearly enough sleep. But it wasn’t his job to baby Lance, so he kept his mouth shut. 

“Nothing,” Keith said simply.

“Allura wants you back soon,” Lance replied with a sigh.

“Tell her I’m on my way back,” the red paladin said. Lance nodded before shutting off his end of the communication channel. Keith could only sigh once more as he turned Red around to make his way home.

The Red Lion could feel the emotions dripping from Keith’s quintessence. His quiet despair flooded through her.

“What if we never find him?” Keith asked, breaking the silence. He expected no answer from the great feline beast. Maybe, he supposed, speaking out loud would either ease his loneliness or help him find some sort of solution. It was worth a try. As the pair continued toward the castle, the Lion listened to her paladin. She could not respond or offer any other comfort than heating the cockpit slightly as though surrounding Keith with warm fur. He heard her low purr and patted the control panel awkwardly. “Thanks, girl.”

Red purred again in response.

_

“Nothing? Again?”

Pidge flopped backward onto the firm benches in the main lounge room as Hunk crossed one leg over the other. Lance was positioned nearly upside down, his head hanging from the seat of the bench as his feet splayed over the top. Keith was sitting on his own separate bench.

“Nothing.”

“He’s gotta be there _somewhere,_ right?” Pidge went on. “He’s _Shiro._ That guy could survive a nuclear blast and come out with some bumps and bruises at worst.”

That earned a small, humorless chuckle from the others.

“Red couldn’t sense anything,” Keith replied. “It was all just…empty air.”

A moment of silence passed before Hunk let out a heavy sigh. He put his hands on his legs and stood, stretching his arms upward. “I’m starving.”

Keith nodded in agreement, thankful for the sudden change in topic. He knew Hunk felt the suffocating atmosphere. Pidge stood as well, following Hunk toward the direction of the kitchen. Their voices faded, leaving Keith and Lance alone. The blue paladin was now sitting upright, warily glancing at Keith.

“ _What,_ Lance?” Keith hissed, not enjoying in the slightest the way Lance would stare at him before glancing off again.

“Nothing,” Lance said, caught a bit off guard. “I-I just-…I wanted to ask you something.” He stood along with Keith as they began making their way to the kitchen.

“Mm?” Keith looked at the other.

“Your missions to find Shiro,” Lance began. “You probably get bored, right?”

Keith frowned slightly, not understanding the question. “Uh, I guess?”

“I mean, Red probably isn’t the most engaging of company and I imagine you’d feel weird just talking to yourself in the dark. Unless, of course, you do that when no one’s looking like a weirdo.”

Keith scowled. “That doesn’t sound like a question,” he remarked.

Lance blinked. He let out a breath before saying, “Can I come with you next time?”

Keith couldn’t keep the surprise off his face. Lance _wanted_ to come with him? “Lance, we would probably end up killing each other. We’re not so great with being by ourselves in tight spaces.”

Both shuddered, remembering when they were forced to be literally back to back to climb up an elevator shaft.

“This’ll be different,” Lance said. “If we get too rowdy Red can just flip upside down and take care of the problem.”

Keith rolled his eyes as they entered the dining area. One place setting was conspicuously empty. Lance and Keith were the last ones to arrive and settle in. The atmosphere was quiet and subdued; vastly different from before Shiro went missing when it was almost constant noise.

“This is great, Hunk,” Lance complimented, trying to break the monotony. 

Hunk grinned. “Thanks, buddy. It’s something new I’ve wanted to try ever since we got those spices at the market the other week. I was going for scrambled eggs, but I think they’re more scrambled than eggs.”

“You best make sure not to use the wrong amount, dear boy,” Coran said. “Eat too much of the green powder and you’ll be bedridden with the Gaphlitic Sweats for a week.”

“I used the deep blue powder, though,” Hunk said, his face paling as he imagined the scenario Coran just described.

“Ooh, that’ll do ya one even worse: Trilphetiic Cramps. Those can be a real doozy if you don’t have the right medicines for it.”

“…do we have those, just in case?” Pidge asked, her nose scrunched up.

“We do not,” Coran said plainly. “But, lucky for us, you’d have needed to add far more than you did here.”

Hunk let out a small sigh of relief.

“Good,” Allura chimed in. “We don’t need another paladin out of commission.”

The room fell silent after that, the heavy atmosphere settling back in.

“We’ll find him,” Keith said after a few moments. “We have to.”

The rest of the meal was spent in a slightly awkward silence. Pidge collected the dishes while Hunk gathered the leftovers, both of them making their way to the kitchen as Allura and Coran went their separate ways in the castle. As Keith and Lance made their way out of the dining area, Keith turned to the other.

“You can come with me next time.”

Lance, relieved, sighed lightly. “Ok. Tell me when you’re about to go and I’ll meet you at Red.”

Keith nodded once. The two stood quietly before Lance put his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “You said it yourself; we’ll find him.”

“I know we will,” Keith murmured. “…but what if we don’t?”

Lance was taken aback at Keith’s tone. It was so…dejected. He’d never heard Keith’s voice sound quite like this.

“We _will._ ” At this point, Lance wasn’t sure whether or not he was trying to convince Keith or himself. “Tell you what; what if we go first thing tomorrow? Maybe if we try looking at a different time of day it’ll help our chances.” He didn’t believe that, but it felt like the right thing to say.

Keith smirked humorlessly, clearly not believing it either. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Then it’s settled. After wake-up call tomorrow, meet by Red.”

Keith nodded before he and Lance went to their respective places in the castle; Lance to his room to relax before sleep and Keith to the training room to take out his pent-up aggression. As Lance entered his room and put on his lion slippers, he let out a big sigh as the forced smile left his face. What if Keith had a point? What if they _didn’t_ find Shiro? As easy as it would’ve been to fall into the everlasting spiral of that particular thought, the boy stood and prepared a hot shower for himself. 

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.


End file.
